Privacy Policy

Who am I?

My website address is: http://www.burgesshillcounselling.co.uk.

What personal data do I collect and why I collect it?

The ‘contact me’ form

The ‘contact me’ form does not retain your contact details on my website. Once you complete the ‘contact me’ form, an email is sent to my email address. I access my emails via my smart phone and my laptop which are both password protected.

Once I make contact with you and we agree to meet, then your email is deleted after the assessment session (once you have signed my contract) from my phone and laptop. If you decide I am not the right counsellor for you at the initial contact stage, then your email is deleted within 24 hours of you stating you do not wish to pursue counselling. If I do not hear from you, then your email is deleted within 3 weeks (as I give time for clients to respond).

What data do I keep?

Home address

Phone number

Email address

Emergency contact name and number

Doctor’s name and contact number

How do I store your data after we start counselling?

Your contact information:

The signed contract with your contact details are kept in a separate locked filing cabinet. I would like to keep your contract for a period of 2 years after the end of our therapy. If you do not want me to, then I ask you to state how long I can keep your contact details for.

I have a separate counselling phone which has your phone number on it. This is identifiable to me by your unique code. After our counselling relationship has ended, I delete your number and all messages. This phone is password encrypted.

My laptop is password protected and does not contain any notes about you. If I receive emails from you once we are in a counselling relationship then I read the email, respond if necessary and then deleted ASAP. Emails are received through to my personal mobile phone which is password encrypted.

Notes:

Short hand-written notes are taken after each session as a ‘aide-memoir’ for supervision. The notes have no identifiable details to you. You are allocated a code and this code is used on all notes. The notes are securely locked away in a filing cabinet. The notes are legally your property, so you can read them anytime. At the end of our counselling relationship, the notes can be handed to you or the notes will be destroyed 2 years after the therapeutic relationship has ended.

Who I share your data with?

I do not share your data with anyone.

Please note:

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

You can request that I erase any personal data I hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Additional information

What third parties I receive data from

I am registered on the following counselling directories, who will have their own privacy policies when you complete their contact forms:

Counselling Directory

BACP

ATSAC

Industry regulatory disclosure requirements

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data: –

The right to request a copy of your personal data which I about you;

The right to request that I correct any personal data found to be inaccurate or out of date;

The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for me to retain such data;

The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;

The right to request that I (the data controller) provide you with your personal data and where possible, to transmit that data directly to another data controller, (known as the right to data portability), (where applicable)

The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing;

The right to object to the processing of personal data, (where applicable)

The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.

What to do if you feel there has been a data breach

Firstly, please talk to me and we can see if there has been a data breach. If you feel this is not possible or you wish to discuss in detail, then please contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.